1. Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase

2. Early Development of Greek Society
Minoan Society
Island of Crete
Major city: Knossos
c BCE center of maritime trade
Undeciphered syllabic alphabet (Linear A)
Series of natural disasters after 1700 BCE
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves
Foreign invasions
Foreign domination by 1100 BCE

3. Mycenaean Society
Indo-european invaders descend through Balkans into Peloponnesus, c BCE
Influenced by Minoan culture
Major settlement: Mycenae
Military expansion throughout region
Trojan war, c BCE
Homer’s The Iliad
Sequel: The Odyssey
Political turmoil, chaos from 1100 to 800 BCE
Mycenaean civilization disappears

4. The Polis City-state Urban center, dominating surrounding rural areas
Highly independent character, such as their own types of government
Monarchies
“Tyrannies”, not necessarily oppressive
Early Democracies

5. Sparta Highly militarized society Subjugated peoples: helots
Serfs, tied to land
Outnumbered Spartans 10:1 by 6th c. BCE
Military society developed to control threat of rebellion
Austerity the norm
Boys removed from families at age seven
Received military training in barracks
Active military service follows
Marriage, but no home life until age 30
Some relaxation of discipline by 4th century CE

6. Athens Development of early democracy
Free, adult males only
Women, slaves excluded
Yet contrast Athenian style of government with Spartan militarism
Maritime trade brings increasing prosperity beginning 7th c. BCE
Aristocrats dominate smaller landholders
Increasing socio-economic tensions
Class conflict

7. Athens Solon Pericles Aristocrat Solon mediates crisis
Aristocrats to keep large landholdings
But forgive debts, ban debt slavery
Removed family restrictions against participating in public life
Instituted paid civil service
Pericles
Ruled BCE
High point of Athenian democracy
Aristocratic but popular
Massive public works
Encouraged cultural development

8. Greek Colonization Population expansion drives colonization Effects
Coastal Mediterranean, Black sea
Sicily (Naples: “nea polis,” new city)
Southern France (Marseilles: Massalia)
Anatolia
Southern Ukraine
Effects
Trade throughout region
Communication of ideas
Language, culture
Political and social effects

10. Persian Wars Revolt against Persian Empire 500 BCE in Ionia
Athens supports with ships
Yet Greek rebellion crushed by Darius 493 BCE; routed in 490
Successor Xerxes burns Athens, but driven out as well
Poleis create Delian League to forestall more Persian attacks
Led by Athens
Massive payments to Athens fuels Periclean expansion
Resented by other poleis

11. The Peloponnesian War Civil war in Greece, 431-404 BCE
Mainly over Athenian misuse of Delian League funds
Poleis allied with either Athens or Sparta
Athens forced to surrender
But conflict continued between Sparta and other poleis

12. Alexander Macedon “the Great,” son of Philip II
Frontier region to north of Peloponnesus
King Philip II (r BCE) builds massive military
350 BCE encroaches on Greek poleis to the south, controls region by 338 BCE
“the Great,” son of Philip II
Rapid expansion throughout Mediterranean basin
Invasion of Persia successful
Turned back in India when exhausted troops mutinied

13. Alexander’s Empire

14. Hellenistic Empires After Alexander’s death, competition for empire
Divided by generals
Antigonus: Greece and Macedon
Ptolemy: Egypt
Seleucus: Persian Achaemenid Empire
Economic integration, Intellectual cross-fertilization

15. Hellenistic Empires Antigonid Ptolemaic Seleucid
Smallest of Hellenistic Empires
Local dissent
Issue of land distribution
Heavy colonizing activity
Ptolemaic
Wealthiest of the Hellenistic empires
Established state monopolies
Textiles, Salt, Beer
Capital: Alexandria
Important port city
Major museum, library
Seleucid
Massive colonization of Greeks
Export of Greek culture, values as far east as India
Bactria
Ashoka legislates in Greek and Aramaic

16. Greek Economy Greece: little grain, but rich in olives and grapes
Colonies further trade
Commerce rather than agriculture as basis of much of economy
Panhellenic Festivals
Useful for integrating far-flung colonies
Olympic Games begin 776 BCE
Sense of collective identity

17. Panhellenic Festivals
Useful for integrating far-flung colonies
Olympic Games begin 776 BCE
Sense of collective identity

18. Society Women as goddesses, wives, prostitutes
Limited exposure in public sphere
Sparta partial exception
Sappho
Role of infanticide in Greek society and culture
Slavery
Scythians (Ukraine)
Nubians (Africa)
Chattel
Sometimes used in business
Opportunity to buy freedom

19. Language Borrowed Phoenician alphabet Added vowels Complex language
“middle” voice
Allowed for communication of abstract ideas
Philosophy

20. Philosophy Socrates (470-399 B.C.E.) Plato (430-347 B.C.E.)
The Socratic Method
Student: Plato
Public gadfly, condemned on charges of immorality
Forced to drink hemlock
Plato ( B.C.E.)
Systematized Socratic thought
The Republic
Parable of the Cave
Theory of Forms/Ideas
Aristotle ( B.C.E.)
Student of Plato
Broke with Theory of Forms/Ideas
Emphasis on empirical findings, reason
Massive impact on western thought

21. Religion Polytheism Zeus principal god Religious cults
Eleusinian mysteries
The Bacchae
Rituals eventually domesticated

22. Drama Evolution from public presentations of cultic rituals
Major playwrights (5th c. BCE)
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Comedy: Aristophanes

23. Hellenistic Philosophy
Epicureans
Pleasure, distinct from Hedonists
Skeptics
Doubted possibility of certainty in anything
Stoics
Duty, virtue
Emphasis on inner peace